


High Stakes

by trash4ficsaboutlurv



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Holiday Fic Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 01:57:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9050710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trash4ficsaboutlurv/pseuds/trash4ficsaboutlurv
Summary: This is for something-pithy on Tumblr for the Defenders Fic Exchange. They wanted Matt/Claire, and Matt/Claire they shall receive. Go wish them a happy holiday!!!!Note: This takes place pre-DDS2 when all of Matt's foolishness came to a head. :D





	

"Ho, ho, ho," Claire said, as Matt opened the door for her to enter his apartment. "I come bearing gifts."

Matt took some of the bags from her hands and kissed her hello.

She smiled against his lips. "You taste like peppermint." She kissed him again. "I love peppermint." 

"Karen brought over candy canes for the tree." 

Claire glanced over at the tree she had set up in the corner of Matt's living room. Every branch sagged with candy canes. She rolled her eyes. Matt was so oblivious about Karen's crush on him, it put Claire very much in doubt of his most basic social-cognitive skills, super powers be damned.  

She walked into the dark kitchen and used her elbow to switch on a light. "What do you think about replacing Foggy's Christmas bulbs with mine," she asked as she set her bags on the counter. She flexed her cold, achey fingers in her gloves. She'd carried her bags six streets down and an avenue over in fitful winds and icy rain.  

"What's wrong with Foggy's?" Matt asked. He set the rest of the bags on the counter and pressed himself against Claire's back in the process. He swept her damp hair over one of her shoulders and kissed the nape of her neck. His lips were lovely and warm and even through all the ridiculous layers of clothes she had on, Claire felt that frission, that heat jump between them.  

"Foggy likes those cheesy, Whosville lights. The big ones that are all different colors. I much prefer the classic, white."  

Matt unwound Claire's scarf from around her neck and plucked at the buttons of her overcoat. She shivered as the droplets of water clinging to her hair and scarf dripped down her back. "Whatever makes you happy," he said. "Although Foggy will have something to say about it tomorrow." 

"He's going to be here?" Claire asked. She helped Matt divest her of her coat, puffy vest, and sweater.  

"Yeah, there's a snowstorm from Lake Michigan down to West Virginia, so no planes are going out that way tonight." Matt rubbed up and down Claire's arms to warm her up. He did that whenever she came in from the cold and it was one of the most endearing things about him, endearing man that he was.  

"I'm glad you won't be alone on Christmas, then." Before Matt could say anything, Claire added, "And Mass doesn't count." 

Matt chuckled. He tugged on Claire's hips to turn her around to face him.  

"Don't you want to know what gifts I brought?" Claire asked 

Matt tilted his head to the side, sniffing thoughtfully. "Candles. Gingerbread. Oranges. Cloves?" 

Claire rolled her eyes and poked him in the rib. "Cheater." Matt grabbed her wrist. He trailed his fingernails up her arm to the inside of her elbow, light and tickling. "You are such a show off," she chastised half-heartedly. 

Matt smiled. "I like to impress you, Claire." 

"Stay out of any knife fights or tumbles into existential despair until after the new year and I'll be impressed." 

Matt tilted his head. He had such a good puppy-dog impression.  

"You missed a couple things," Claire said. She twisted to reach a bag behind her on the counter and rifled out the over-looked items. "Marshmallows." She pressed two bags of marshmallows into Matt's chest. "And your Christmas present." 

Matt tossed the marshmallows back on the counter and took the box from Claire. He shook it next to his ear. "I thought the Christmas tree was my present." 

Claire tugged open one of the bags of marshmallows while Matt carefully slid his fingers under the seams of the wrapping paper on his present. "You paid for the tree, Matt. That hardly counts as a present."  

Claire had taken Matt to pick out a real tree this year as a fun date idea. She'd pointed out how spectacle-driven the holidays were. "The lights. The Rockefeller Christmas tree. Nativity scenes. Et cetera, et cetera. So I thought we could incorporate some other stuff. The smell of a real live Christmas tree is a good place to start." 

Matt had kissed Claire's nose.  "I'd prefer you." 

"Well, I will be 90-odd blocks north dealing with my mama and sparing you from the same." She patted his stubbly cheek. "Take the tree, Matt. You're not getting the short end of the stick, here." 

They had spent a lovely half-hour walking through the small lot of Christmas trees until they settled on a medium-sized beauty that Matt said had a robust aroma. "It's a tree that did not go quietly to the axe," he said solemnly as they carried it to his apartment. He'd given her her Christmas present after they set up the tree, saying he couldn't wait. It was a necklace with a little charm of the emoji smiling devil. Claire had worn it every day since. 

"If the Christmas tree doesn't count as my present," Matt said, still slowly and carefully unwrapping his gift, "surely the gingerbread house does.  Foggy and Karen tell me it's the most beautiful house they've ever seen, including those competitions on TV." 

Claire laughed as she glanced at the goopy mess of a gingerbread house she and Matt had constructed together. "Foggy and Karen greatly exaggerate. Can't you open that any faster?" 

Matt shrugged. "If it's pretty wrapping paper, I don't want to ruin it." 

"It's Happy Birthday paper from my cousin's quinceañera." She bit into a marshmallow. "I didn't think you'd mind." 

Matt slid the box out of the paper gingerly. "Maybe it's just a habit of neatness then." He ran his hands along the box for the tape, taking his sweet time about it, like this was heart surgery or something. 

"You're doing this on purpose," Claire accused.  

He smiled. "I'm planning my perfect surprise face for when I open this up and get my hands on my new scarf." 

Claire tossed the marshmallows and smacked Matt's arm. "How did you know? There's no way you 'sensed' that!" 

"Foggy told me you two went to Barney's. I know about how much nurses make so I deduced what was an affordable thing to buy me. It was a low-end tie or scarf, and there's too much fabric in this box for a tie." 

Claire was torn between being annoyed and impressed. "I'm gonna surprise you one of these days," she promised. 

Matt got the box open and unfolded his scarf. It was cashmere in a soft gold and cream houndstooth print. Claire figured Matt wore so much black that she'd wanted to add something light and patterned to the mix. Foggy had picked out a cobalt blue affair that they'd both fallen in love with, but it came in just under $300, so they'd grumbled a bit about unfair prices (Foggy had said he could've been a corporate, soulless lawyer with a fat paycheck and Claire joked that she could have married him) and put the damn thing back.  

"You surprise me all the time," Matt said to Claire as he dripped the fabric between his hands.  

"Oh yeah?" Claire asked. "How's that?" 

Matt draped his scarf around Claire's shoulders and pulled her to him. She smiled against his peppermint-candy lips until he kissed her smile away. He kissed her slowly, one hand cupping her jaw and the other going up to cradle the back of her head. Matt's kisses were usually of two varieties: warm, enveloping, and soft or dark, drugging, and deep. This kiss was of the former variety. A thank you kiss. He buried his face in her neck. "You surprise me every time I see you; I keep thinking you'll come to your senses and realize you're too good for me."  

Claire laughed. "My mama always told me to go for the doctors and lawyers. And since I know far too many doctors and they are all asses, you'll have to do." She took Matt's scarf and styled it around his neck. "I'm not letting you go just yet, Matthew Murdock."  

He ducked his head. "Why'd you bring two bags of marshmallows? You might have greatly overestimated my appetite." 

Claire grinned. "Well, I bought the big puffy kind to toast over the fire." 

"I don't have a fireplace." 

"I brought a lighter." 

Matt laughed. "Okay. And the small ones?" 

"Catching contest. Me and you." Claire grabbed the bag of small marshmallows. "Although I should warn you, I am very, very good." 

Matt nodded solemnly. "Thank you for the warning." He opened the bag and popped a marshmallow into his mouth. "So, what do I get when I win?"  

Claire accepted a marshmallow from him and considered. She tapped her chin. "Hmmm, how about if you win, I stay the night. We can wake up on Christmas together." Claire held up her hand as Matt's smiled widened. "I still have to go to my mama's though. She'll kill me if I don't. " 

Matt nodded. "Maybe she'd have mercy if you said you were visiting the blind?" 

Claire laughed. "You're shameless, Matt. Absolutely shameless." 

He shrugged. "What do you get if you win?" 

Claire smirked and slid her hands up under the back of his sweater, skin against skin. "If I win," she said, pushing herself up against him from knees to lips, " _y_ _ou_  pay for my cab uptown tomorrow morning after I stay the night." She bit his lip gently.  

Matt threaded his hands through her hair and pressed his forehead to hers. "Those are some high stakes you got there, Claire." 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays!!!!!!


End file.
